Auto life guard



March 18, 1924e J. H. NELSON AUTO LIFE GUARD Filed oct. 10, 1923 Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

4.ToiIN H. NELsoN, or BRIDGEPOM', CONNECTICUT. Auro :cm: GUARD.

Application med October 10, 1928. Serial No. 667,8.

To all whom t may concer/nr Be it known that I JOHN H. NnLsoN, a citizen of the Unia states, residing a Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Auto Life Guard, of which the followin is a specification. r

This invention relates to a life guard for automobiles, and has for an object to provide a ard to prevent a person struck by the mac ine being run over, and which will also yield under the impact, but will automatically return to normal position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of this character which may be easily and quickly applied to the common forms of bumpers now generally employed, which will be very simple in construction, and which wlllvbe neat and attractive in appearance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, similar reference numerals being used throughout the various figures of the drawing to designate corresponding elements. In this drawing,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the forward end of an automobile with a conventional form of bumper and my improved guard applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4C is a transverse section substantially on line 4 4 of Fig. 2 but drawn to an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a slightly different construction.

Referring to the drawing, 10 represents the hood of the automobile, 11 the front axle and 12 the front wheels.V At 13 is indicated a common form of bumper which comprises a flat strip of spring meta-l extendlng across the front of the car bent inwardly upon itself at its opposite ends, as shown at v141, and then extending backwardly and secured to the chassis, as shown at 15. This showing of the bumper is, however, merely illustrative as my improved guard may be applied to VVother forms of bumpers if desired.

In the form illustrated my improved guard comprises a frame comprising horizontal top and bottom membersl and 17 and upright end members 18. These mem- Y' 'the bumperl by suitable straps 20. vThese straps extend vertically across the frame at a' suitable distance from the outer ends thereof and are secured to the top and botvtom members 16 and 17 by suitable rivets or bolts 21 and 22. The upper ends of these straps are folded over the top of the bumper 13 and bent down on the opposite side thereof, and are securely clamped aboutthe bumper by the bolts 22, as shown in.

Fig. 4. Thus the guard is securely fastened to and suspended from the bumper. It should extend down a suflicient distance so that the space between it and the ground is not great enough to allow passage of the body of a person struck. Secured to the lower member 17 and 20 is a spring'23. This spring is bowed in the horizontal plane substantially, as shown in Fig. 1, with the center of the bow secured to the center of the member 17 by any suitable means, such as a bolt 241. This spring extends backwardly to a point a suitable distance forwardly of the axle 11 where it is twisted through 90 degrees, as shown at 25. It is then bent upwardly, as shown at 26, to a point above the axle, then rearwardly and downwardly, as shown at 27, and rests against the'side of the axle. This downwardly'. extending end is secured to the axle by any suitable means, such as a ll-sha ed strap 28, embracing the axle and exten ing at its opposite ends through the spring. It will thus be seen thatthis spring forms a yieldable support or bracing element for the ower edge of the guard which will yield rearwardly under shock should the uard strike an object. It will `thus absor the shock of the impact and will immediately return the guard to the normal or vertical position after the pressure on the guard is removed. It will thus protect the automobile as well as the object struck. The bowed ortiony of the s rin v23 will allow the spring to yield as will a so the peculiar formation at 26 and 27.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a slightly different construction in which the reverse bend 27 is omitted, the ends of the sprin being merely bent upwardly at 29 and t en secured to the axle 11 by the strap 28,. Th1s will not give quite as much yielding effect to the spring as will the first form, especially if the axle is substantially on a line with the bowed portion of the spring.

It will be apparent from the foregolng description that the device is very simple in construction and may be easily and quickly applied to the conventional bumper and the machine axle, that it will effectively prevent a person struck by the machine from being run over as it will throw him to one side, and that it will yield to absorb the shock of impact, but will automatically return to normal position when pressure is removed.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a motor vehicle having a bumper projecting forwardly of the wheels thereof, a guard suspended from the bumper and extending downwardly therefrom, a bowed spring connected to the guard at a distance beneath the bumper, and means for connecting the spring to the vehicle.

2. In a motor vehicle having a bumper projecting forwardly of the wheels thereof, a guard suspended from the bumper, said guard being substantially coextensive with the length of the bumper and projecting downwardly therefrom, a bowed spring connected to the guard at a distance below the bumper, and means for connecting the opposite ends of said spring to the axle of the vehicle.

3. In a motor vehicle having a bumper projecting forwardly of the wheels thereof, a guard suspended from the bumper and extending downwardly therefrom, -a bowed spring connected at its center to the guard at a distance beneath the bum er, the ends of the bow extending rearwardliy to a point projecting forwardly of the wheels thereof,

a guard suspended from the bumper and extending downwardly therefrom, a bowed spring of flat strip metal secured at its cen` ter to the guard at a distance beneath the bumper, the ends of the bow extending rearwardly and twisted through an angle of substantially ninety degrees, then "curving at substantially right angles and means for sccluring the free ends of the spring to the ax e.

5. A guard for motor vehicles having a bumper comprising a metal frame, upright straps secured to the frame and also to the bumper, a bowed spring secured at its cen` ter to the lower member of the frame and at its ends to the axle of the vehicle.

6. A guard for a motor vehicle having a bumper comprising a metal frame, upright straps secured to the vframe and embracing the bumper at their upper ends, a flat bowed spring secured to the lower member of the frame and to the vehicle. l

7. A guard for motor vehicles having a bumper comprising a metal frame substantially coextensive with the length of the bumper, a wire mesh closing the opening enclosed by the frame, upright straps Secured to the frame and embracing the bumper at their upper ends to suspend the guard from the bumper, a bowed spring secured at substantially its center to the lower member of the frame with its free ends extending rearwardly, and means for securing these ends to the axle of the vehicle.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

JOHN H. NELsoN. 

